Testimonials

Kris and I wanted to thank you and your team for helping us plan a spectacular trip. Since arriving home a few days ago, the whole family has been "on a high" thinking about our trip to Ireland and the memories we created. Unforgettable!

When we first spoke a few months ago about our summer vacation, I shared with you my challenge. How do you plan a family trip to Ireland and make sure everyone, including my six year old son and his 78 year old Nana, have a fun time? I am not sure how you did it with only a few phone calls and some emails, but you nailed it! From the coach to the route to the hotels to the tour guide and even the weather, you hit the bulls eye on each one.

Of particular note, though, was our guide, Paul McGlinchey. He was just what we hoped for and more. His knowledge of Irish history, geography and folklore kept us all captivated for the entire seven days. More importantly, the manner in which he cared for my Mom was above and beyond the call of duty. Whether it was ensuring her comfort at each of our stops, singing her favorite Irish songs (particularly "The Island", better than singer/songwriter writer Paul Brady) or a quick visit to the Matchmaker Bar in Lisdoonvarna for a review of the "inventory", he did it with charm, professionalism and a great sense of humor.

As we settle into our back to school routine this week, we will be sure to share our experience with our family and friends and are happy to pass along your details so they can have the same experience as we did.

All the Best

Gar, thanks to everyone for their work in putting together the trip of a lifetime for our family. The accomodations, logistics and planning were superb. Every day was an adventure with Dermot as we saw " the real Ireland". The best decision we made was to leave all the driving to you guys. The value of this approach was priceless.  We saw an Ireland that only the locals know and were always in the right restaurant or pub to fit the occasion. We could sit back and enjoy the scenery and not worry about whether we were going in the right direction. This approach and your company get my highest recommendation.

Again, thanks for handling everything in the most professional manner. Can wait to do it again. All the best.

Patrick S. Donahue

Pres./CEO

Donahue Schriber Realty Group

Dear Mr. Cooke: I just want to let you know what a wonderful time we all had during our recent trip to Ireland, and Mr. Eamon Hegarty contributed a big part of that.  He was knowledgeable, accommodating, and took care of all of our needs.  I want to especially thank him for the patience hed shown to our young children; all the kids absolutely loved his stories!  We feel that we’ve learned a lot about Ireland and its history, culture, and people during our short stay.  We will recommend your company to our friends and families without hesitation, and we look forward to our next trip back to your beautiful country.

Yvonne Chen / Ben Nguyen

Good Afternoon Garreth,

We are back safe and sound, we cannot begin to tell you how wonderful the trip was. Eamon as our private tour guide/driver was exceptional.We all agree that if we would have ventured on our own,we would not have gotten even close to the benefit that we did with Eamon. He customized the trip to meet our needs and I can believe how much of Ireland we saw.I have 450 pictures to prove it. Thanks again for everything you did for us. we have so many happy memories, we look forward to having Emerald Elite plan our future trips.

Eirinn go Brach,

Good Morning Gar,

What a spectacular trip. As usual the sights of Ireland were only exceeded

by the people.  Paddy was an excellent guide not only into Ireland today but

also into Irish history.  He brought it to life and was impressively

knowledgeable.  Now add Paddys natural charm and singing voice and you have

a dynamic true "Irishman".It was the best to say nothing of the

outstanding links golf courses. The Kerns along with us had an exceptional time.

Again you have surpassed our expectations. Thank you for all the

considerations you made for us.We will see you again!

John and Marilyn

I thank you and staff for making the trip a reality.  Barry is an excellent driver and possesses an outstanding knowledge of Irelands roads and highways.  We felt safe and secure in the auto.  He did not miss one time helping me out of the auto and went to the trouble of placing a step stool on the ground so I did not stress out my knees.  Barry is sophisticated and, therefor, sensitive to the people he looks after. For example, without a direct request made by Charlie, Barry located Charlies cousin in Northern Ireland.  It was very special and an unforgettable experience.  

Hi Garreth,

This was the most wonderful Anniversary Jim and I have had. 

Ireland

was all I hoped for and more.  Everything about our trip went perfectly as scheduled.  A hugh part of making this trip so enjoyable was Eamon.  He was brillant, he entertained us beautifully.  He made it both informative and entertaining.  We are definitely planning another trip to Ireland. Jim enjoyed both Ballybunion and Doonbeg.  I am sure our next trip will include more golf.

Thank you for making this all possible,

Linda and Jim 

Nick and I have been home for one week.  We want to convey our personal thanks to everyone at Emerald Elite that helped to make our tour, a true trip of a lifetime.

We want to acknowledge Dermot, our driver, for his courtesy, hospitality, flexibility and his humor!  We will never think back on our trip to Ireland without thinking of him.  Kudos to you for having someone like him to represent your company, and keeping on staff such a professional.

We were able to let go of all stress and worry about what to see, how to get there, is it worth it, etc.  Dermot was able to zero on what we liked, what to skip, what not to miss, etc.  We felt he was there for us EVERY STEP OF THE WAY! 

We, of course, will highly recommend Emerald Elite for anyone contemplating a visit to Ireland.  Thank you so much!

Sincerely,  Nick and Maureen Healy

Hi Garreth,

We just got back from our wonderful tour of Ireland.  We arrived in Ireland a few weeks ago and was greeted by our tour guide Eamon Haggerty.  He was a delight to our children regaling them with folktales and geography lessons.  The children look forward everyday to their next tale often begging for another story.  He also fulfilled the adults desire of history, culture, and interesting facts.   Our tour consisted of two families that had four young children ranging from 5-9 years of age.  The tour was set at a nice pace never putting the children in a bad place but giving the adults a chance to see everything.  We ended our tour to Bunratty Castle and a lovely stay at Dromoland Castle.  It was a perfect vacation had by all!  please send our very best to Eamon!

Sincerely,

Sue Vasquez Sheindlin

Yes, Bravo! Best trip I have ever taken! Thank you Eamon! I learned so much and saw so much I can not wait to return some day!

Sincerely,

Nancy Furth

Hi Garreth,

I just wanted to reach out and let you know how pleased we were with our trip to Ireland!  Everyone at Emerald Elite was so accommodating in terms of recommendations, planning the tour and reworking the itinerary several times to accommodate my family.  The trip was absolutely perfect and planned wonderfully.   I felt a lot of pressure to ensure the trip was perfect for our group of 14 as I was the one organizing everything.  The whole family trip thanked me constantly for the perfect vacation and I of course could not have planned it without help from you guys!

Our driver Paul McGlinchey was absolutely amazing and really made the trip!  He took us everywhere, was an endless supply of information on the country and history of Ireland and even sang us some songs!  He was completely easy going and accommodating to everyones requests - even going in search of an old family farm my father and my uncle had not been to since 1959  (and we found it)!!!!   I think we all learned so much from him about the culture and history!  He fit right in with our family and had amazing recommendations for off beaten path pubs, restaurants and other sights to see!  My 2 year old nephew is still asking why Paul didn come home with us!!!

I am happy we chose to work with Emerald Elite and will be certainly recommending you guys to everyone!

Thank you again!

Siobhan Foley

Hi Sinead,

Ed, McKenna and I had an absolutely exceptional time in Ireland.  Paddy was outstanding and suited us perfectly.  We loved learning about the history of Ireland from him, learning and hearing Irish songs and poems.  Paddy was able to make excellent suggestions as far as what to see and do from the moment we arrived.  He made our trip unforgettable.  We also enjoyed meeting Sinead who was kind enough to come to the Merrion to meet us.  Thanks to all of you for a wonderful experience.

Jo Ann